Students have to make up seat time, even on weekends

by Brandis S.

Students who earn FAs in their core classes at AHS are being forced to attend school on Saturday to make up seat time and re-earn their credit. Students missing school are sometimes surprised when having to come to school to make up seat time on weekends.

Based on research, sometimes people don’t know what seat time is or why it is a thing that students are REQUIRED to do if they receive an FA in any of their core classes. If you have an FA that means you did not get a credit for the class you have an FA in, even if you earned an A and passed the EOC. Students tend to get these FAs based on their hours they have in school.

A child may usually have ten lawful absences from school each year that are principal approved. Then typically children are considered truant if they have three unlawful absences in a row or five unlawful absences in one school year.

Students are to receive, at a minimum, 180 days of instruction for a minimum of 6 hours per day, typically 30 hours per week.

If students don’t have enough hours they make it up with their school's seat time opportunities. The state law requires a minimum of 120 hours of seat time for a one credit class and 60 hours of seat time for half credit classes. They may recover a maximum of 6 hours of seat time per week.

If these FA’s are not made up with seat time in due time it can cause problems with students graduating and more. If students don’t get their hours they can be held back and forced to repeat classes they should have already had a credit for.

The students also use seat time for more than just catching up on hours. The rules of this time they are given are usually simple, the kids aren't meant to socialize, eat, talk, or sleep. They are to make up work that they have missed along with the hours.

“Seat time is time consuming, but very beneficial,” says Carmen S. a current AHS 11th grader.

“Having a seat in class doesn’t guarantee you anything,” says Jason Glass, the director of the Iowa Department of Education.

“Learning loss is very real,” says Gavin Newsom, the governor of California.

“Teachers inspire students not laptops,” says a teacher who wishes to stay anonymous at AHS.

Some teachers think the screens aren’t good for the students at all and even the parents have said they feel like their kids aren’t even learning anything at this time.